Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 4 An-Nisa, Ayat 172-176
لَنۡ يَّسۡتَـنۡكِفَ الۡمَسِيۡحُ اَنۡ يَّكُوۡنَ عَبۡدًا لِّـلَّـهِ وَلَا الۡمَلٰٓـئِكَةُ الۡمُقَرَّبُوۡنَؕ وَمَنۡ يَّسۡتَـنۡكِفۡ عَنۡ عِبَادَ تِهٖ وَيَسۡتَكۡبِرۡ فَسَيَحۡشُرُهُمۡ اِلَيۡهِ جَمِيۡعًا
﴿4:172﴾
فَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ فَيُوَفِّيۡهِمۡ اُجُوۡرَهُمۡ وَ يَزِيۡدُهُمۡ مِّنۡ فَضۡلِهٖۚ وَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ اسۡتَـنۡكَفُوۡا وَاسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡا فَيُعَذِّبُهُمۡ عَذَابًا اَ لِيۡمًا ۙ وَّلَا يَجِدُوۡنَ لَهُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ وَلِيًّا وَّلَا نَصِيۡرًا
﴿4:173﴾
يٰۤـاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدۡ جَآءَكُمۡ بُرۡهَانٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ وَاَنۡزَلۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكُمۡ نُوۡرًا مُّبِيۡنًا
﴿4:174﴾
فَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا بِاللّٰهِ وَاعۡتَصَمُوۡا بِهٖ فَسَيُدۡخِلُهُمۡ فِىۡ رَحۡمَةٍ مِّنۡهُ وَفَضۡلٍۙ وَّيَهۡدِيۡهِمۡ اِلَيۡهِ صِرَاطًا مُّسۡتَقِيۡمًا ؕ
﴿4:175﴾
يَسۡتَفۡتُوۡنَكَ ؕ قُلِ اللّٰهُ يُفۡتِيۡكُمۡ فِى الۡـكَلٰلَةِ ؕ اِنِ امۡرُؤٌا هَلَكَ لَـيۡسَ لَهٗ وَلَدٌ وَّلَهٗۤ اُخۡتٌ فَلَهَا نِصۡفُ مَا تَرَكَ ۚ وَهُوَ يَرِثُهَاۤ اِنۡ لَّمۡ يَكُنۡ لَّهَا وَلَدٌ ؕ فَاِنۡ كَانَـتَا اثۡنَتَيۡنِ فَلَهُمَا الثُّلُثٰنِ مِمَّا تَرَكَ ؕ وَاِنۡ كَانُوۡۤا اِخۡوَةً رِّجَالًا وَّنِسَآءً فَلِلذَّكَرِ مِثۡلُ حَظِّ الۡاُنۡثَيَيۡنِ ؕ يُبَيِّنُ اللّٰهُ لَـكُمۡ اَنۡ تَضِلُّوۡا ؕ وَاللّٰهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيۡمٌ
﴿4:176﴾
(4:172) The Messiah neither did disdain to be a servant of Allah nor do the
angels who are stationed near to Him; and whoever disdains to serve Him, and
waxes arrogant, Allah will certainly muster them all to Him. (4:173) He will grant those who have believed and done good deeds their rewards
in full, and will give them more out of His bounty. He will bestow upon those
who have been disdainful and arrogant a painful chastisement; and they will
find for themselves neither a guardian nor a helper besides Allah. (4:174) O men! A proof has come to you from your Lord, and We have sent down
unto you a clear light. (4:175) Allah will surely admit those who believe in Him and hold fast to
Him to His mercy and bounty, and will guide them on to a straight way to Himself.
(4:176) People219 ask you to pronounce a ruling concerning inheritance
from those who have left behind no lineal heirs (kalalah).220 Say:
'Allah pronounces for you the ruling: should a man die childless but have a
sister,221 she shall have one half of what he has left behind; and
should the sister die childless, his brother shall inherit her.222
And if the heirs are two sisters, they shall have two-thirds of what he has
left behind.223 And if the heirs are sisters and brothers, then the
male shall have the share of two females. Allah makes (His commandments) clear
to you lest you go astray. Allah has full knowledge of everything.
Notes
219. This verse was revealed long after the revelation of the rest of this
surah. According to certain traditions, this verse was the very last Qur'anic
verse to be revealed. (For these traditions, see Ibn Kathir's comments on this
verse - Ed.) Even if this is disputed, it shows at least that this verse was
revealed in 9 A.H., whereas the Muslims had been reciting the present surah,
al-Nisa, for quite some time before that. It was for this reason that this verse
was not included among the verses relating to inheritance mentioned at the beginning
of the surah, but was attached to it at the end as an appendix.
220. There is disagreement about the meaning of the word kalalah. According
to some scholars, it means one who dies leaving neither issue nor father nor
grandfather. According to others, it refers to those who die without issue (regardless
of whether succeeded by either father or grand father). On this question 'Umar
remained undecided up to the last. But the majority of jurists accept the opinion
of Abu Bakr that the former meaning is correct. The Qur'an also seems to support
this, for here the sister of the kalalah has been apportioned half of the inheritance
whereas, had his father been alive, the sister would not have inherited from
him at all. (For relevant traditions on the subject see the commentary on this
verse by Ibn Kathir. For legal discussion on the question see the commentaries
of Jassas and Qurtubi - Ed.)
221. The apportioned shares in inheritance mentioned here are those of brothers
and sisters, whether related through both parents or through a common father
only. Abu Bakr gave this interpretation in one of his pronouncements and none
of the Companions expressed any dissent. This view is, therefore, considered
to be supported by consensus (ijma').
222. This means that if there is no other legal heir the brother will receive
the entire inheritance. In the presence of other heirs (such as husband), the
brother will receive all the residual inheritance after the other heirs have
received their apportioned shares.
223. The same also applies to more than two sisters.